Trinity Topics January 10, 2025

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DEAR FRIENDS

Dear Friends,

This coming Sunday, January 12, will be my last one as your Interim Rector.

When I was a kid, the Mickey Mouse Club was one of the few programs we were able to get through our rooftop antenna. The original run featured a regular but ever-changing cast of mostly teen performers. ABC broadcast reruns weekday afternoons during the 1958–1959 season, airing right after Dick Clark’s American Bandstand. Each Mickey Mouse Club show ended the same way, with the song that began, “Now it’s time to say good-bye to all our company . . .”

Siblings in Christ, now it’s time for me to say goodbye to all of you after fifteen plus months at Trinity Toledo. Thank you for the opportunity to serve Trinity during this time of transition! It has been a privilege and a joy. I will cherish this season of ministry and rejoice always in the people with whom I’ve had the privilege of working.

I am grateful to have been part of a team whose combined efforts have helped strengthen the parish in preparation for your next rector – Bishop Anne Jolly, Canon Jessie Dodson and the Diocese of Ohio; your Wardens, Donna Steppe and Jeffrey Albright, and those who now serve and have served on the Vestry; the people who lead the various ministries of the parish; those who make Trinity’s extraordinary worship possible – especially the Choir and the Altar Guild; and, of course, the staff whose gifts and dedication will continue to support and bless you as you await the arrival of your next rector. Until then, Father Robert and Deacon Meribah will provide spiritual leadership and pastoral care.

Above all, I am grateful for the Holy Spirit whose gracious presence has sustained us through this time of transition. I’ve ben reminded again and again that God’s power working in us can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. (Ephesians 3:21, 22)

I look forward to watching from a distance as Trinity Toledo goes “from strength to strength,” and I will keep you in my prayers. As is always the case when I leave an interim assignment, I will miss the relationships formed and the friendships made most of all.

After leading five congregations in a row through their transitions, I’m moving on to a sixth – St. Paul’s, Cleveland Heights. Because I’ll still be serving in the Diocese of Ohio, I’m sure I’ll see some of you at the Winter Convocation at the end of the month and at other diocesan gatherings.

Please continue to show up, to say your prayers, and to support your next rector. The people of Downtown Toledo need a progressive, inclusive, creative Episcopal Church – one that welcomes everyone – no exceptions! Trinity is that very special place. But then, you knew that already . . . .

Blessings,
Stephen Applegate

DE-GREENING THE CHURCH

Saturday, January 11, 9:30 am

While we can’t promise as much fun and camaraderie as we had Greening the Church in early December, we contend that there’s something immensely satisfying about taking down seasonal decorations and carefully storing them for next year.

Please plan to offer an hour of your time to join your fellow parishioners as we de-Christmafy the church. The large trees, the garland, the candles all need to go away so the church will be ready for the next day – The Baptism of Our Lord. It’s Stephen’s last Sunday, too, and you know he wouldn’t want to leave a job unfinished. Coffee and donuts? Natch!

GRACE MAUK TOUR

Grace will be taking a short leave of absence from Trinity. This Sunday, she will be heading out on the North American tour of Dirty Dancing in Concert. The tour will stop in 75 cities across the US and Canada. She will be playing all of the iconic music from the movie with a world class band and crew! She will return to Trinity at the end of April!

FAREWELL STEPHEN

Dear Friends,

As you may know, our Interim Rector, the Rev. Dr. Stephen Applegate will celebrate his last worship service with us on Sunday, January 12, at 10:00 AM. Stephen will be taking some time away to rest and relax before beginning his new position as Interim Rector at St. Paul’s in Cleveland Heights.

It seems like just yesterday we were beginning our transition, and I was announcing the arrival of Stephen to Trinity. It was a time of uncertainty for our congregation. If you have ever been through a rector transition before, you know that sometimes they can be a stormy process. Stephen was our calm in the storm.

It is hard to believe that 15 months have passed since Stephen arrived, and with his steadfast guidance, he patiently helped us grow and see what we as a community could become and what we could accomplish together. In the past 15 months with Stephen’s ability to lead, listen, and empower leadership in the congregation, we have accomplished more than we could have hoped or thought that we could ever accomplish.

Some of the things we have accomplished together:

Reduced plaza debt by $108,333
Obtained $25,000 grant (over 3 years) for debt reduction.
Obtained $60,000 grant (over 3 years) to bring the plaza to life.
Prepared and planted beds and Volunteer participation in work.
Increased our 2024 average Sunday attendance to 98 from 88 in 2023.
Moved to livestreamed services from pre-recorded service, resulting in a financial savings and fostered a sense of participation among members at home.
Established staffed nursery care during Sunday services; renovated the Grace Room to serve as our Trinity Kids’ Clubhouse for Sunday School.
Arranged for Safe Church/Safe Community training for parish leaders and everyone involved with children and youth programming.
Re-established our Sunday community breakfasts; added new Thanksgiving & Christmas meals; established our monthly food pantry with Food for Thought and healthcare partners.
Established committees to support the life of the parish and to provide leadership opportunities to our members: Finance, Stewardship, Adult Spiritual Formation, Children’s Formation, Parish Life, Property, Pride, and Community Engagement.
Welcomed two new building partners, Girls on the Run and Toledo Streets Newspaper.
Met stewardship campaign goals for both 2024 and 2025.
Will be presenting the 2025 budget with surplus of $15,000 at our annual meeting later this month.

This list is only a fraction of what we have accomplished over the past 15 months, and we are better prepared to envision new possibilities and new opportunities for providing ministry to our congregation, our neighborhood community, and broader communities. We are better prepared to welcome a new rector to Trinity with open minds, open hearts, and open arms.

We thank you, Stephen, for being our calm in the storm, for helping us to grow in more ways than we could possibly imagine. We wish you well as you move to your next position at St. Paul’s, Cleveland Heights, and know that you will forever be in our hearts and be a part of our Trinity community.

Blessings,

Donna Steppe & Jeffrey Albright

2025 BUDGET PRESENTATION

Sunday, January 19, following the 10 am service

Trinity’s Treasurer, Margaret Baehren, will review the vestry-approved 2025 Budget on Sunday, January 19. It has been Trinity’s practice to schedule a budget presentation in advance of the Annual Meeting to give parishioners plenty of time to hear about how God’s mission will be funded for the coming year and to ask questions. Because of this presentation, Trinity’s finances will not be covered in any detail at the Annual Meeting.

This year’s Annual Meeting booklet will contain information about the budget for this coming year, the financial report for the 2024 fiscal year just ended, and the values of the various funds – both endowment and restricted – through September of 2024.

2025 ANNUAL MEETING

Following our worship service on January 25, we will gather in the sanctuary for Trinity's Annual Meeting to celebrate the past year together and elect vestry candidates, Angie Carriker, Brian Ingman, Jack Diedrick and Kyle Grefe (for re-election).

BREAKFAST AT TRINITY

WEDNESDAY NOON SERVICE

CHALKING THE DOOR

Lou, Fiona and Brooklyn did a fantastic job of chalking their front doors to celebrate Epiphany. Indeed, "may Christ bless this house"!

DIOCESAN PEACE & JUSTICE INVITATION

Webinar invitation: ‘Defending the Dignity of Trans and Non-Binary People in 2025 and Beyond’ Monday, January 13, 7:00 - 9:30 p.m.

Episcopalians and all others interested in justice for women, LGBTQ+ justice, and social justice are invited to join this webinar to learn from gender justice leaders within and beyond The Episcopal Church about the current legislative terrain in the U.S. impacting these areas and the work that can be done to uphold the dignity of all God’s children.

Learn more and register online.

WOMEN'S BIBLE STUDY

Join us for women's Bible study on January 18th from 9:00-10:30 am. We will explore and pray with the gospel selection appointed for the following day at church. Bring a Bible (print or online) and an open heart. The great news is that it doesn’t matter how much experience you have (or don’t have) with scripture. We'll learn together.
When you sign up, you'll include your email address. The week of Bible study, Jolene will email you directions to the house and a copy of the passage under discussion, so you can read it in advance. If you have any questions, please email jolene278@gmail.com.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B084AADAC23A0FD0-54105807-womens

COME TO WINTER CONVOCATION: LIVING THE VISION

At our 208th Convention, Bishop Jolly cast the vision for our diocese: “Connected in Beloved Community, we seek to be faithful, healthy, effective, and sustainable sharers of the transformative love of Jesus.” The 2025 Diocesan Convocation will help us live into that vision.

It will be held Friday, January 31, and Saturday, February 1, Sawmill Creek in Huron to learn tangible skills for how to live out our vision in our faith communities and across the Diocese. We’ll be joined by two visiting trainers from The College for Congregational Development (CCD) who will lead us to deepen our faith and build our practical skills for being the church in the world today.

We will learn a lot to bring back to our community. The more people from Trinity to register, the more fun convocation will be! (We had a wonderful time with important conversations last year.)

Childcare and interactive activities for youth will be available. The cost to register is $50.00 for adults and $15.00 for children/youth. For more information about Convocation, registration, and hotel accommodations, see the diocesan web page.

SAVE THE DATE

Annual Meeting January 26, 2025 following the 10am worship service.

BOOK CLUB

We will take a pause for the cause and meet on January 19 at 6:30pm via Zoom to discuss our next selection: "There Are Rivers In The Sky" by Elif Shafak. From the Booker Prize finalist, author of The Island of Missing Trees, an enchanting new tale about three characters living along two great rivers, all connected by a single drop of water. Zoom meet up details coming soon.

MLK EVENT @ GLENWOOD CHURCH

Sunday, January 19, 2025 at 3:00 p.m.

A true inspiration, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a preacher, activist, and prophet. Each year, we honor his legacy with celebratory worship and powerful messages on the Sunday before his national holiday.

This year’s theme is Have Courage: Be The Change. Our keynote speaker will be Alicia M. Smith, Executive Director of The Junction Coalition, an organization dedicated to improving the quality of life in Toledo’s Junction neighborhood Music Coordinator, Dr. Anthony Pattin has gathered an impressive slate of musicians for this year’s celebration. A meal will be served immediately following the event. All are welcome! Click here to download flyer.

Glenwood Lutheran Church
2545 Monroe Street, Toledo, OH
(adjacent to the Toledo Museum of Art)

TRINITY@HOME LIVE-STREAM

Trinity@Home is now a live-stream of Trinity’s 10:00 am in-person service with an interactive chat.

www.trinitytoledo.org/live

EPISCOPAL NEWS SERVICE

Canada: Early data show Easter, Christmas up 41, 50%; Sunday attendance down 9%

[Anglican Journal] According to data available so far, attendance at Anglican Church of Canada Easter and Christmas services rose by 41% and 50% respectively in 2023, even while average Sunday […]

Massachusetts church to ring one of US’ oldest bells commemorating Jimmy Carter

[Episcopal News Service] St. Peter’s-San Pedro Episcopal Church in Salem, Massachusetts, will honor former President Jimmy Carter today by tolling the one of the United States’ oldest church bells 100 […]

Jimmy Carter remembered by grandsons, friends, President Biden at National Cathedral funeral

[Episcopal News Service] Family members, friends, former colleagues, members of Congress and all five living U.S. presidents gathered Jan. 9 to pay tribute to former President Jimmy Carter, who was […]

Outpouring of Episcopal support felt amid fires in Pacific Palisades, San Gabriel Valley foothills, Hollywood Hills

[Diocese of Los Angeles] Locally and nationally, the Episcopal community has rallied together, in a resilient outpouring of prayers, love and support as out-of-control Southern California wildfires blazed a second […]